"Dedicated to the families of all Valve employees. Thanks for helping us make such an incredible place."

 

That's the very cool dedication on page one of the employee handbook for the software company Valve.  Or, as it's subtitled: "A fearless adventure in knowing what to do when no one's there telling you what to do."

 

I love Valve's employee handbook for a number of reasons (which they've posted on the web for the world to see, that, unto itself, being a lesson, at Valve Employee Handbook).  It includes cartoons, fun diagrams, it's written in a very conversational tone, it's quite funny in parts and most importantly it gives new employees a true understanding of their inspiring culture, for example: What if I screw up? Nobody has ever been fired at Valve for making a mistake. It wouldn't make sense for us to operate that way. Providing the freedom to fail is an important trait of the company--we couldn't expect so much of individuals if we also penalized people for errors. Even expensive mistakes, or ones which result in a very public failure, are genuinely looked at as opportunities to learn.

 

And finally, the handbook is unabashedly honest, even including a section on what the company does NOT do very well!     

 

So take a look at your own employee handbook (which I know you have tucked away safely into your drawer beside you) and ask yourself: Is it useful? Is it fun, friendly, inspiring and honest? Does it help to create and reflect the kind of culture your organization wants to be known for?